To Slip Past a Titan
by WaddleBuff
Summary: A few years after the Battle of Jakku, the Empire is in tatters. Its loyal remnant flees from the merciless clutches of the New Republic, desperate for a new beginning, a new hope. A lone Admiral with his measly fleet has found such hope. Will they break through the New Republic's forces? Or will their last stand fail, forgotten in the annals of history?
1. Chapter 1

The Admiral stood firmly on the bow of the bridge, arms crossed, fingers drumming on the stiff cloth of his Imperial uniform. Power to the capital ship was dimmed to low; easier to drift through the asteroid field without alerting the Republic barricade. The drumming quickened. He could feel the bead of sweat on his neck, the eyes of every single officer, adjutant, trooper in the room. Over the soft pitter-patter of his fingers, the Admiral could hear the heavy thunder of an entire crew's synchronized breath. Particularly the nervous shallow respirations of his second in command standing next to him.

The woman in question fidgeted visibly. Thankfully the low lighting of the bridge and deep space's murky darkness cloaked her multiple lapses from professionality. Below the brim of her command cap, a stray lock of light blonde dangled in front of her nose, further accentuating her unease. Her brown eyes flickered between idle comm screens and holomaps of the fleet position. Her bottom lip quivered increasingly like a kettle reaching its boiling point until she finally spoke in a whisper, expressing the collective sentiments of the entire fleet.

"This is absolutely mad."

The soft characteristic shudder in her voice curled a smile on the Admiral's lips.

"Yes, Vice Admiral Luna. I am aware," he said.

She sighed.

"And that's what worries me."

She allowed silence to settle between them again, deigning to stand and just wait. As the silence continued, her fear and unease mounted. The variables of the next phase buzzed around in her brain, stinging her whenever she would imagine the worst possible outcome.

It had been more than two hours since the Admiral navigated the fleet through the perilous asteroid field. Two pyramid-shaped cargo ships stacked with the last remaining remnant supplies, five half-staffed Imperial-I class Star Destroyer capital ships, and two Imperial light cruisers with every single room, escape pod, and cargo bay packed to the brim with the friends and families of the remnant crew, all of them safely nestled behind a curtain of asteroids.

The fact that the Admiral could successfully get them this far solely through venting controlled air pressure without alerting the Republic was a miracle in itself. However, even this monumental feat was dwarfed by the next phase of his plan. The phase that had the entire fleet on edge.

A lone transceiver console suddenly lit up, its operator listening intently to the chatter on the opposite end of his communicator. The attention of everyone on the bridge suddenly shifted to the operator as he frantically decrypted the message beeping through his headset.

"Mm. Looks like Rahab Squadron has finished their assembly," the Admiral said.

"Remind me again why we've let these mysterious Repaublic benefactors and their 'weapon' become the pivotal asset in our plan?" Luna suddenly snapped.

The Admiral blinked.

"They helped us during our escape from the Republic in the Rattatak System."

The nervousness and tension in her system had spiked, transmuting into anger. The transceiver operator kept listening intently. He whispered the messages decrypted under his breath, his peers whispering to the curious ears around the room.

"And that's enough to gain your trust? They're still part of the Republic. It's a fact that they even served the Rebellion during the war; bored, rich Coruscantis with too much piloting experience. For all we know, they could be luring us into a trap. Don't you realize how much is at stake here, Admiral? All of our lives? Our families?" She said, almost spat.

A stern silence followed. The Admiral stared straight ahead as Luna's composure continued to crumble. The complete lack of effect of her words to his countenance suddenly made itself clear to her. Luna felt her anger plateau.

"Tell me, in all of our time serving the Empire, have I ever misplaced my trust?"

The Admiral's question hung in the air alongside the frantic scribbling and mutterings of the transceiver operator below them.

"I-"

"Tell me, have I _ever_ allowed my subjective instinct overtake my rationality?"

Luna immediately felt guilt begin to grip her. She was standing before the man who had successfully navigated not one, but _five_ Star Destroyers through an asteroid field on low power, using only controlled bursts of air for propulsion. She was standing before the man who had studied below Thrawn himself during the height of the Galactic Civil War. She was standing before the man who survived the Battle of Jakku, taking the helm of his own admiral's fleet, salvaging several ships from a foolish demise upon the planet's desert sands.

"Tell me, Luna," the Admiral said, turning towards her. "Have I ever let _you_ down?"

Luna's eyes instantly softened. As usual, she couldn't read his expression; his lips were set, but was there a hint of a grin behind the stone? Her chest tightened sickeningly at her accusations. She lowered her head, resigning.

"I'm...sorry. I'm sorry, I was out of line. This is just our last hope. There isn't an Empire anymore, no other fleet that isn't cut off from us by the Republic...if this fails then-"

"Luna…it's okay," the Admiral said, turning towards her completely for. This time, his face was easy to read; his eyes were warm, strong, and reassuring all at once. "It's okay. I understand. I know how stupid and fantastical this all sounds, but I need you to place your trust in me one last time. Not for my pride, not for the Empire, but for _us._ Do you understand?"

In the split-second following, where nobody's eyes were in their direction, the Admiral reached over to Luna's face, brushing the stray lock of her hair away, tucking it behind her right ear. Her cheek flushed against his fingers. As quickly as the moment came, it was gone, and the Admiral stood facing out again, strong and firm and cold.

Then, as if on cue, the transceiver operator began speaking aloud, informing the Admiral and every keen ear on the bridge. Indeed, as the Admiral had assumed, the Rahab Squadron had successfully assembled the payload, and that it was charging to fire. A chatter then slowly began to rise within the control pits. The Admiral remained silent, his arms crossed. Luna wanted to say something, more apology, more gratitude, but instead she remained silent with him as the murmurs below and around them began to grow.

The Admiral continued to stare intently outside beyond the asteroids into a space of his own. Before impatience and panic could break the tension and the muttering could reach its peak, the Admiral suddenly raised his hand, bringing the chatter to a silence. Then,

"Bring the ship back to full power. I need at least 15 turbolasers online for asteroid clearance. Communicate the same orders for the other four capital ships, and return power to our other vessels, keep them on standby."

Within seconds, the mechanical hum of the Destroyer rung out in the control chamber. Lights of modules and consoles blinked to life, the shuffle of footsteps joining the din. The Admiral's attention swiveled behind him.

"Vice Admiral Luna. Oversee the preparation of our squadrons and prepare to direct the movement of the provisional ships on my command."

A stray asteroid the size of a Rancor suddenly exploded mere meters from the viewport. Every foot on the bridge nearly lost its balance as the capital ship shook from the blast. Then, a wall of red suddenly burst through the thin curtain of asteroids before them; the Republic titan had awoken. The barrage was caught by the capital ship's translucent shields, the sight forcing the entire crew to action. Alarms faintly blared, lights flashed, troopers ran to positions. The massive ion engines began to hum furiously.

Amidst the controlled chaos, the Admiral wordlessly directed the fleet's next move with a single sweep of his arm. Adjutants and officers efficiently relayed his silent order through tranceivers to the other ships. An officer rushed on the bridge informing the Admiral that the ship's turbolasers, 15, as the Admiral had requested, were online. Another close blast shook the ship, prompting an operator below to spout a reassuring jumble of numbers to prove the integrity of the shields were holding.

All of this transpired within the first 30 seconds of the first blast.

Luna gazed upon the Admiral before her, standing with his eyes transfixed on the viewport as their fleet slowly advanced towards an unknown fate. Strong, resolute, adamant. Though the anger and the frustration was all but dispelled from her mind, before she fulfilled her orders, she needed closure for the unanswered question she posed to him earlier.

"Admiral!" she said, almost shouting above the growing din.

He turned around, eyes questioning.

"I trust you...but, I still need an answer," she continued. "Why do you trust Rahab Squadron?"

A smile cracked on the Admiral's face. The orange blossom of another explosion near the viewport washed over his features.

"Simple, Luna. Rahab Squadron aided the Rebellion for the same reason they will now aid us."

The Admiral turned around again to face the looming myriad of capital ships focusing their forward batteries towards him and his fleet, walls of laserfire exported with the express intent to destroy everything and everyone under his command.

"They will aid us because no matter the conflict, people will always root for the underdog."

With that, the Admiral resumed his job, preparing the fleet for the extensive maneuver that would surely get them killed. Luna stared at the back of his head for a moment, processing his words. She wasn't sure if she had gotten the closure she desired, but she settled upon the fact that trusting him was enough.

With a turn of the heel, Vice Admiral Luna made her way to her duties on the other end of the bridge as the Republic's fleet grew closer.

* * *

 _I went to painstaking lengths to make sure everything here is accurate and that I am not conflicting anything with canon. Feedback is much appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

For the umpteenth time, the hardware-embedded walls of the control bridge shook.

Luna staggered, barely catching herself, lips incessantly conveying orders in the ship's command pit. She squinted, leaning over a console's monitor, trying to make sense of the flittering green characters on the obsidian screen. She nodded once she did, spoke some more orders, and within seconds moved over to another console across the aisle. There, she approved of diverting power from a garbage disposal unit to a struggling deflector shield primed on the bow. Again she moved to another console, then to another, and another, repeating the process over and over, interrupted only by reporting officers and adjutants.

In between her strides and streams of orders, Luna's eyes would wander over to the bow, worry mounting again upon the sight of the republic barricade looming ever closer. Blossoming of fiery orange flashed more frequently now, laserfire impeded by the increasingly thinning veil of asteroids. As if reflecting the rising chaos on the opposite side of the transparisteel, the entire control deck became a blur of uniforms and activity. More than once, Luna had to stop midstride lest she bump into an officer or reporting stormtrooper.

But, firm and adamant in the center of the gale, the admiral stood, an anchor of everything else around him.

Luna felt a moment's serenity beholding him before another blast shook the deck. By now, the five star destroyers had almost completely emerged from the asteroid field, turbolasers clearing the last remainder of rocky hindrances that still threatened to crash into their command bridges. Luna could see it now: the New Republic fleet. Through the curtain of heavy red laserfire, she made out the hulking bulges of Mon Calimari capital ships, cruisers and carriers gathered around them like swarming bees congregating around a hive.

Then, as a particularly heavy blast knocked a lock of blonde out from under Luna's command cap, the laserfire stopped. The destroyers were out of the asteroid field, exposed. The rest of the fleet still hung back, safely hidden from view behind the asteroids.

For a silent, singular moment, both fleets hung suspended in the calm sea of the stars. The capital ships glared at each other across the untainted obsidian as the Imperial fleet came to a complete standstill.

Buzzing out from dozens of docking bays and carriers, small swarms of red suddenly exploded into the darkness. It didn't take long to see the red glints begin to zoom towards the destroyers, the furious high-pitched thrum of their thrusters familiar: Republic starfighter squadrons. With every blink of every eye, the swarms came closer and closer, taking form into assortments of X-Wings, A-Wings, B-Wings, and Y-Wings.

Luna could almost taste the fear around her. In her own mind she remembered the holos of Endor and Jakku, horrific last transmissions of capital ships. Images of officers panicking and yelling before a suicidal A-Wing would burst into the deck, bodies and limbs flying, screams and fire before cutting to black flew through her mind, and undoubtedly, through the minds of every man around her.

The rebels have always been as skilled as they were relentless.

Before a shiver could sneak into her spine, the Admiral turned his head and gave her a nod. She breathlessly nodded back. It was time for the first phase of his plan.

She relayed the orders.

"Dispatch Glaive Squadron and Naginata Squadron and put them on standby below the hull until we give further orders. They'll know the signal."

Despite the icy confidence of her voice and the glare she gave at the lower officers who gave her a bewildered expression, inside her heart she shared their sentiment, weighed down by gratitude and deep apology. Luna let out a breath, trying to calm herself.

Two squadrons comprising of 8 TIES and 4 TIE Bombers each. Two squadrons against at least eight. She wished she could thank them, truly show how much their confidence in the Admiral was appreciated. The odds of all the men in these squadrons surviving was close to nil, even if they succeeded in baiting the Republic starfighter squadrons away from the destroyers.

And in the small chance that the squadrons would survive, it would only be due to their trump card arriving during the precise, most crucial moment, a facet of the plan that only she, the Admiral, the two squadrons, and a third party were aware of, a tactical secret amongst the entire remnant fleet.

The Rahab Squadron was one thing, but this hidden plan the Admiral had reserved for the Republic starfighters? Madness was an understatement. Nervousness began to grip her once more.

And once more, she looked at the Admiral.

In an instant, her worry and fear dissipated, reassurance and slight annoyance taking their place. Even from behind, she could see the corners of his lips upturned into a grin. Only he would smile at a time like this, only he could possess the confidence. His fingers were drumming less quickly now, a steady, cool sprinkle.

"Send a signal out to The Constrainer. Tell Captain Bittenfeld that it's finally time to strike out from the shadows."

The officer nearest to him verbally reflected the response of everyone in earshot.

"Captain Bittenfeld, Admiral? Didn't he die in our retreat from-"

"Just do it. The starfighters are getting closer and I think none of us want to find out what kind of welcoming gift they'll have in store for us once they get here."

The officer looked at Luna with the same bewildered expression, but she merely gave him a glare.

"The Admiral gave you an order, officer. Execute it."

"Y-Yes, Vice Admiral," the officer quickly said, leaning over the command pits to relay the message.

Luna sighed. She knew this would happen. Nothing good usually came out of secrets, but she knew this time if they knew, the results and the doubts would have been much worse.

Still, she couldn't help but shake her head while looking at the Admiral. As much as he cared about his men, Luna knew he was enjoying this. Being an underdog, utilizing tactics earned from his tutelage during the war. This was the Admiral's biggest encounter yet, with the worst odds to date. As he stood there, the signal sent out into the darkness with only his smile to bolster it, Luna could only hope that the outcome of all this matched his confidence.

A very tense atmosphere permeated the air.

The threatening screeches of the Republic's warbirds came ever closer. Luna knew everyone was itching to fire a turbolaser, or to ask the Admiral what in the hell they were waiting for, or to abandon ship immediately. But she also knew that they did none of these things not only because of orders, but because of the trust they had laid within the man in the center of the bridge.

Luna found herself beside the Admiral again, eyes intently focused on the viewport. She could just _feel_ the fear and anticipation of the squadrons below her booted feet.

"Are the provisional ships away from Republic sight?"

"Yes," Luna answered almost absent-mindedly. "They're still nestled right on our tail, behind the asteroid curtain."

"Perfect. Now all we do is wait until Bittenfeld decides to show himself."

Luna nodded, ready to give the order.

At this point the idle Star Destroyers could see the Republic squadrons easily now, their collective flight structured in attack formation. Luna gulped as she saw the various ships begin to unfurl their attack coils, ready to strike.

"Open fire," the Admiral said as the squadrons crossed the threshold into their turbolaser range.

The order instantaneously relayed to the other 4 capital ships, and moments later, brilliant flashes of green blasts hurled through the darkness towards the incoming ships.

As expected, the skilled Republic pilots almost effortlessly bobbed and weaved through the defensive laserfire. Luna heard the audible groans of disappointment as the turbolaser turrets failed to hit even one of the incoming craft. She heard an officer audibly question the lack of their own squadrons to defend them.

Then, as an X-Wing leading the pack began firing, there was a slight glint in the asteroid canopy above the Republic fleet.

The Admiral was the first to see it, and, at this point, didn't even bother hiding his grin.

"Looks like Bittenfeld is fashionably late as usual."

Nothing could have truly prepared anyone for the sight. Amidst the anxious horror of the screaming starfighter squadrons, shock and disbelief resounded silently through the room.

Seconds later, the glint above the Republic barricade gave way to the pointed tip of a Star Destroyer.


End file.
